Law & Order: SVU Season 18 Episode 17

Real Fake News

Recap

Congressman Lucas Bolton comes to see Benson. A website called The Endless Truth is publishing stories claiming that he is running a sex trafficking ring out of a Chinese restaurant. He wants Benson to investigate and prove it isn't true. Benson doesn't think she can convince conspiracy nuts of the truth but she agrees to do it.

While at the restaurant, a man comes in with a gun and starts shouting he wants the cops to find and shut down the sex ring. He insists it's in a closed room. The restaurant owner, Mr. Lee, shows him that it's an empty broom closet and the cops prove there is no false wall. The gunman is arrested.

Benson goes on TV and says there is no evidence of a sex ring. But Endless Truth.com publishes a story saying that the cops aren't trying hard enough and provides a link to a real sex trafficking ring.

Computer Crimes investigates and finds all the people ordering underage girls have their identities masked except Congressman Bolton.

Benson investigates but quickly realizes that Bolton is being framed. She goes to the owner of Endless Truth.com and asks who gave him Bolton's hacked emails. He refuses to tell her. The cops have a subpoena for his computer. Duka goes to court and claims journalistic privilege against revealing his sources but loses. He threatens Benson in the hallway.

Soon after, Duka publishes photos of Benson and Rollins with their kids and claim that they are part of the sex ring and are being given children in exchange for covering up the sex ring. Duka is arrested and when Benson interrogates him accuses her son of not being hers. Meanwhile, the kids are sent out of town to keep them safe.

Fin interrupts Benson confronting Duka. They found the hacker.

The hacker turns out to be some kid who was hired on the Dark Web to connect Bolton to the sex ring. He found the sex ring info on the computer of a guy who worked for the restaurant 10 years ago (part of the reason for the conspiracy theory). THe guy is arrested and is supposed to be part of a sting operation but he tries to shoot himself just as the girl he ordered is arriving.

There is a chase and the vehicle's driver is arrested. A young girl from El Salvador is rescued.

During interrogation, the driver claims to know nothing but the girl says that this driver picks her up every time she engages in sex work. The driver eventually admits he knows her but does not know where she lives. The girl does not know where she lives either. The only clue to the location of the other trafficking victims is that there is a fire station in between Astoria Park and the house.

Benson uses a Google maps-like interface to help the girl identify her neighborhood. The house is raided and the pimp, Jerry, arrested. The girls are rescued.

Benson and Rollins are about to go home with their kids when they get a call from the Chinese restaurant. Bolton had gone there with his daughter to demonstrate the restaurant is safe. Someone came in, assumed his daughter was a prostitute, and shot him. He is dead.

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Congressman: If you could just send someone to the basement where this sex crime supposedly took place...Olivia: Would anyone believe it?Congressman: One would hope the NYPD is still a respected institution.Olivia: One would hope.Congressman: You investigate alleged sex crimes. This is an alleged sex crime.